


It's All Over

by hogwartsahoy



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fights, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 09:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20504537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hogwartsahoy/pseuds/hogwartsahoy
Summary: Albus sets out to make things right after a fight with Scorpius that forces him to relive their last three major fights and realise the reason why he never wants to fight with him again.





	It's All Over

Albus watched as Scorpius walked away from him, leaving him standing alone in the courtyard. His breathing was a little heavy, and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. There were eyes on him – the eyes of other Hogwarts students who’d just witnessed the fight between him and his best friend. Who’d just heard every single word that the two had shared. Albus wished they’d all just disappear.

He took a long, shaky breath and began to walk inside the school. Not to follow Scorpius, though. He knew enough to know that following Scorpius wasn’t going to amount to anything. That Scorpius needed some time to cool off, and that he needed time to cool off as well. Scorpius would go to the library. Albus decided to just go back to the common room so he could wait him out there and collect himself in the process.

When he took a seat in one of the chairs in the common room, he knotted his hands together in front of him, one of his legs bopped up and down as he stared down at the patterns on the rug at his feet, thinking.

This was their fourth major fight. There had only been about one each year since fourth year when everything had gone wrong – when they’d had their first _major _fight in the alternate reality, when Scorpius had lost it at Albus for all the right reasons. Albus hadn’t realised it back then, but he’d caught on quickly. 

He could still hear Scorpius’ words in his mind, clear as day, if he thought hard back to that day. He could hear _his _words. The words that he’d said, the ones that had caused Scorpius to be so mad at him in the first place.

How he’d said that he wasn’t a loser before he met Scorpius. How the words were a complete and utter lie. Because how different would things really have been if he and Scorpius hadn’t been friends? If he’d grown close with Yann or Karl or even Polly on the train instead? He still would have been sorted into Slytherin. He still wouldn’t have been great at magic, people still would have bullied him. Yet his mind had been working too fast and he’d thrown the words out before he even thought, and he’d hurt his best friend in the process. How he’d said Scorpius was holding him back.

Scorpius could never hold him back.

And Scorpius knew that back then, too. “Without me?” He’d said. “Oh poor Albus Potter. With his chip on his shoulder. Poor Albus Potter. So sad!”

Albus had been so bold to be confused by his friends outburst.

“Try _my _life! People look at you because your dad’s the famous Harry Potter, saviour of the wizarding world. People look at me because they think my dad is _Voldemort! Voldemort! _Can you even slightly imagine what that’s like? Have you even ever tried? No. Because you can’t see beyond the end of your nose. Because you can’t see beyond the end of your _stupid _thing with your dad! He will always be Harry Potter, you know that, right? And you will always be his son. And I know it’s hard, and the other kids are awful, but you have to learn to be okay with that, because there are worse things, okay?”

Scorpius had been standing in front of him, hands shaking, tears streaming down his cheeks. And the words back then had just been flashing through his mind. He hadn’t realised how blind he’d been. How _stupid _he’d been to not see that Scorpius had been suffering all along too. That he was being selfish and stupid and a _terrible, terrible _friend, just like Scorpius had said he was.

His breath caught in his throat as he thought back to the moment and he squeezed his eyes shut. He had been the reason Scorpius had cried back then. He had been the reason for his best friends tears. His ignorance. And he’d seen those very tears again today– and once again, he’d been the reason for them.

He wished he could only say this was the second time, but the time in fifth year when he’d thought that slowly breaking off their friendship would be good for him was just as bad as the library had been. His leg bopped up and down a little faster and he squeezed his hands together tighter as he thought of how Scorpius had confronted him that day. 

Albus had been sitting in the Great Hall, trying to make his way through a bowl of cereal he really didn’t feel like eating when Scorpius had slid into the seat beside him. Albus hadn’t realised. If he had seen him coming, he would have moved. Would have made sure that Scorpius couldn’t talk to him, because then it would mean having to confront the fact that he was starting to ignore his best friend.

And then Scorpius had spoken. Had said “Have I done something wrong, Albus?” In the softest of voices, the quietest of tones, barely audible in the hum of the Great Hall, yet a voice filled with hurt and emotion and _sadness _and Albus had broken. 

He’d started to say “it’s not you, it’s _me” _to play that card. But Scorpius had caught him before he’d gotten there and told him not to bother saying that. Because he knew that it was just a lie, and he didn’t want to hear it, and so Albus had been forced to say the truth.

“I know what we went through last year means I shouldn’t be saying this, but I think it’ll be better for the both of us if we just… take a break from each other, Scorpius. You’re getting nightmares, I’m getting nightmares. Maybe those will stop if we stop being with each other all the time. It’s been a year since everything happened and honestly, I just need some time to myself.” 

That hadn’t been the truth, though. It’d been another lie. 

Scorpius hadn’t seen through that one. He’d looked at him, tears welling in his eyes, and said, “You need some time to yourself?” 

And Albus had nodded. “Time to… explore other friendships, I guess.”

The part that had hurt him the most, though, was when Scorpius had taken a deep breath, tried to steel himself despite the tear that was rolling down his cheek, and started to speak. “If you’ve been ignoring me for the past three weeks just because you’re sick of being my friend and want to go off with Karl Jenkins or someone else, you could have just saved me the trouble of worrying that something was wrong and told me in the first place.”

Albus had tried to save the conversation. Had tried to say something else, but Scorpius had stood up swiftly and left. They didn’t talk for a week after that. But before Albus even knew it, they’d made up. Albus had apologised, and Scorpius had, too. And everything was back to the way it was before. 

He squeezed his hands tighter together and sat up a little more on the couch, letting go of his hands to run a hand through his messy brown hair. He was an _idiot, _a downright idiot. And he always had been, so why hadn’t he realised it before now? Why had it taken him not once, not twice, not _three _times, but _four _times of making his best friend cry to realise it? He let his head fall into his hands as he remembered the fourth.

Sixth year. When he discovered he had the mildest of crushes on his best friend and decided to try and change his mind by starting to date a Ravenclaw girl named Alison. And instead of spending his weekends with Scorpius, he spent his weekends with Alison in Hogsmeade, or just around Hogwarts. And Alison thought it was a bit weird that he didn’t want to kiss her just yet, but she’d been normal about it (luckily, he thought). 

And then Scorpius had asked him to hang out one Saturday, and Albus had to say no. But unlike the other times, Scorpius pushed to ask _why. _To ask why it was he could spend so much time with Alison but not find a single second outside of classes to spend with him. Albus had been forced to tell the truth again. But he’d modified it, because he couldn’t tell him the entire truth. He just… _couldn’t. _So he hadn’t.

“Because I’m just really enjoying spending time with my girlfriend,” Albus had shrugged. “I did always say I’d be the first of us to get a girlfriend, didn’t I?” 

Scorpius had nodded. “You did… I just didn’t realise you’d abandon our friendship completely when you actually _did _get a girlfriend, Albus. I kind of wished you’d told me that would happen when you started dating her.”

And Albus had pushed back. “What, you’re not happy that I have a girlfriend?”

“Of course I am, Albus, I just wish I could spend a little more time with you, too.”

“That doesn’t sound like someone who’s happy for their friend. That just sounds like someone that’s jealous of their best friend. Is it just because Rose doesn’t like you that way? Is it just because you’re still harbouring that _pathetic _school-boy crush on her all these years after she’s made it clear she doesn’t want to ever date you?” 

He’d snapped. Because Scorpius _was _jealous. But Scorpius didn’t know that he was only dating Alison because he didn’t know how to deal with those feelings that were arising for _Scorpius. _And Albus didn’t think he’d ever know how to deal with those feelings, and he’s just kept going and going until suddenly, he’d stopped– because tears were rolling down Scorpius’ cheeks and his breathing was heavy and he’d taken a few steps backwards. 

All he’d said was “so that’s how it is” and he’d turned and left, leaving Albus heartbroken and positive that he was never going to speak to Scorpius again. 

The fight hadn’t helped how he’d felt. He’d broken up with Alison a week later, basically before they’d even gotten far in their relationship at all. He’d retreated into himself and only come out of his shell a few weeks later when he’d gained the courage to approach the lonely Scorpius and talk to him about everything. 

And as Albus sat now in the Slytherin common room, memories of that fight and their last fight echoing around in his mind, it was like everything became clear to him suddenly. He _was _still a terrible friend. Because he’d laughed in Scorpius’ face when Scorpius had suggested doing something to do with Quidditch in his future, and when Scorpius had defended himself, Albus had just kept _going. _He hadn’t realised when to stop, and then he’d been crying and Albus had felt his heart break inside his chest once more.

He didn’t want to be the reason Scorpius cried anymore. He didn’t want to be that person. The person that made the most important person in his life cry as often as he’d already made Scorpius cry. He wanted to be the person who made Scorpius smile. Who made Scorpius laugh, who’d make his eyes shine and his happiness radiate. 

Albus stood, feet carrying him out of the Slytherin common room and through Hogwarts, upstairs towards the library where he knew his best friend would be. He had to do something. He had to apologise. But he didn’t know if he could even find the right words to apologise. He’d try his best, though. He’d try with every fibre of his being to apologise to Scorpius for everything he’d ever said to him that had made him hurt. That had made him feel insecure or unloved or sad in any way at any time.

He stopped in the doors of the library, eyes settling on the head of blond hair at the back of the library. But he stopped for only a second before walking with purpose towards Scorpius, until he was standing right next to him and Scorpius was looking up at him, eyebrows furrowed. 

Slowly, Scorpius stood up. He looked nervous as he looked at Albus, obviously having noticed the way Albus had entered the library and come over to him so suddenly. 

“What are you doing here?” He asked quietly.

Albus opened his mouth to speak. “I– I’m– I’m here to–” He squeezed his eyes shut. His mind couldn’t catch up to what he wanted to say. There were so many things running through his head that he couldn’t focus on just one of them. What he wanted to say was _I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever said that has hurt you. For everything I’ve done that’s hurt you. For laughing at you when you suggested Quidditch in your future before. You’re so good at Quidditch, Scorpius. And you could do anything you wanted to with your future. You are the smartest, most brilliant, most loving, kind human I’ve ever met in my entire life and I think I’m a tiny bit in love with you._

He paused as the words stalled in his brain. _In love? _Was he– _in love? _What?

But of all the things that seemed so blurry to him in that moment, there was only one thing that was clear. Scorpius, standing in front of him, eyes locked on his. Eyebrows furrowed, nerves running through his system. 

And so he kissed him.

His hands cupped Scorpius’ face and he pressed his lips to his– to his _best friends lips. _But really someone so much more than that now. And Scorpius was– Scorpius was _kissing him back! _Albus could have jumped out of his skin were he not so preoccupied. He didn’t even care that everyone in the library was staring at them. Scorpius was all that mattered.

He kept his hands on Scorpius’ face after he pulled away, eyes meeting his once again. “Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, I think you are brilliant. And I’m sorry for all the times I’ve ever hurt you. For the library in fourth year. For distancing myself from you in fifth year. For being so rude to you about Alison in sixth year. For laughing at you when you mentioned Quidditch before. You are _so_ good at Quidditch. You are _everything _and more, Scorpius Malfoy. And I’m sorry for the times I’ve made you feel less than that. I promise I won’t make you feel that way again. I will never make you feel less than that again. I never want to make you cry again, Scorpius. I only ever want to see your happiness.”

**Author's Note:**

> I think this might be my favourite thing I've ever written.


End file.
